THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI) - as amended in 1971, consists of seven

base units as listed in Table 1.

Table 1. SI Base Units
Quantity Measured Unit Symbol
length Meter m
Mass kilogram kg
Time second s
temperature Kelvin K
Amount of substance Mole mol
Electric current ampere A
Luminous intensity candela cd

IMPORTANCE OF STANDARD UNIT OF MEASUREMENT

This “standardization” was done to avoid the confusions resulting from

using so many measuring systems. A standard is an exact measurement that people
agreed to use to see the relationship between the things being compared. When all
the measurements are made using the same standard, the measurements can be
compared better.
Metric System – a decimal system of measurement that was introduced and
adopted by France in the 1790s. “Meter” comes from the Greek word metron,
which means to measure.

ENGLISH SYSTEM
Inch is a length of 3 barley corns.
Foot is a length equivalent to 13 inches.
Yard is the standard unit of length divided into 3 feet.
Perch (rod) is equivalent to 5.5 yards,
Acre is 4 rods wide by 40 rods long.
Furlong is standardized at one-eighth of a mile.
English Pound a troy weight.
1795 - metric system was adopted by France, but it existed along with use Avoirdupois is used for goods that had to be weighted a multiple of the English
of the old medieval units until 1840 when it proclaimed as the exclusive system of pound.
weights and measures. Stone is a multiple of English pound
1875 – metric system was universally accepted at the International Metric
Convention in France and provisions were made to set up an International Bureau METRIC SYSTEM
of Weights and Measures in Paris. Meter is the unit for length.
October 1960 in Paris - 11th General Conference on Weights and Gram is the unit for weight
Measures, the definitions of the original metric standards were redefined to 20th- Liter is the unit for liquid volume
century standards of measurement and a new International System of Units was Are is the unit for area
formulated. Stere is the unit for volume
LENGTH – the distance between two points
INSTRUMENTS USED IN MEASURING LENGTH TIME – the interval between two events; measured in terms of the rotation of the
➢ Metric Rulers and Metric Sticks – most commonly used instruments in Earth
measuring length. Classified as linear measuring devices, measurements done INSTRUMENTS USED IN MEASURING TIME
with these tools can be accurate to about 1 millimeter. ➢ Stopwatch; Wristwatch; digital clock; pendulum clock; wall clock;alarm
➢ Tape Measure – used by dressmakers, tailors, and textile dealers to measure clock
clothing materials and body measurements CONVERSIONS OF TIME
➢ Steel Tape Measure – designed to contain a steel tape in meter-yard units, with 1 millennium = 10 centuries
the tape being retractile 1millennium = 1000 years
➢ Vernier Caliper – a tool that looks like a wrench and is used to directly measure 1 century = 100 years
small lengths. It is used to thickness of coins and diameter of a medicinal pill 1 score = 20 years
1 decade = 10 years
WEIGHT – is the pull of the Earth’s gravity on an object 1 year (yr) = 12 months (mos)
INSTRUMENTS USED IN MEASURING WEIGHT 1 leap year = 366 days
➢ Scale – commonly used to get the weight of an object; used to determine the 1 year = 365 days
weight of meat, poultry, fruits, and vegetables we buy in the market 1 week = 7 days
• Spring Scale – a mechanical instrument that determines weight by 1 day (da) = 24 hours
measuring the tension an object creates on a spring. 1 hour (h) = 60 minutes
• Electronic or Digital Scales – use electricity to measure the mass of an 1 minute (min) = 60 seconds (s)
object; faster and more accurate than mechanical scales, and its output
could be fed directly to a computer How to Convert A Unit of Measurement to Another Unit
➢ Balance – a simple device that measures weight by balancing the unknown 1. Compare the two units.
mass against a known mass 2. Find the conversion factors that gives the appropriate ratio to the given unit.
• Beam Balance – used to measure the mass of an object by counter 3. Write the conversion as a fraction, where the denominator is in the same unit
balancing it against a known mass as the given unit.
• Triple Beam Balance – commonly used by scientist in laboratories to 4. Write a multiplication problem with the original number and the fraction
find the mass of objects in grams 5. Cancel out similar units that appears on the numerator and denominator.
6. Solve.
VOLUME – is the amount of space an object occupies.
INSTRUMENTS USED IN MEASURING VOLUME/CAPACITY
➢ Graduated Cylinder – a tall narrow container with a volume scale used
especially for measuring liquids

TEMPERATURE – the measure of how hot or cold a substance is; can be measured
in degrees Fahrenheit (⁰F) or degrees Celsius (⁰C)
INSTRUMENTS USED IN MEASURING TEMPERATURE
➢ Thermometer – used to measure temperature
• Outdoor Thermometer – used to measure outside air temperature
• Clinical Thermometer – used for measuring the temperature of our body
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ACTIVITY
Convert the following